When alone, the small ships of the Swarm species used polaron bursts to "paint" intruder vessels, bringing them to the attention of the larger swarm. The bursts changed the shield polarity of the target ship to a rotation of 92 gigahertz, making them much more obvious to sensors. (VOY: "The Swarm")

When the biomimetic duplicate of USS Voyager was attempting to seek shelter on a Y-class planet in 2375, Tuvok suggested that a polaron burst might disrupt the shields of an intervening mining vessel long enough for them to target the warp core. However, CaptainKathryn Janeway was unwilling to destroy the other ship over a misunderstanding, even for their own survival. (VOY: "Course: Oblivion")